"But since last summer, when she moved into one of the most energy efficient houses ever built in Columbus, Winfield knows it's a hardship she won't be enduring personally."

"That's because she and her three children became one of four families to move into super-energy-efficient houses built by NeighborWorks Columbus under a pilot green-building program. Cathy Williams, president and CEO of NeighborWorks Columbus, said the homes are the first in Columbus to be built to Green Builder Initiative standards developed by the national Enterprise Foundation."

"NeighborWorks, a nonprofit community-based housing organization whose mission is to create affordable housing for Columbus citizens, received a state grant in February 2005 to build the four houses to Green Builder standards. That allowed them to cover the extra $9,000 or so that it cost to raise the energy efficiency of each house so that homeowners could start realizing savings on their utility bills the day they moved in."

"The "green" houses feature Icynene spray foam insulation in the attic and walls -- a product that seals so tightly that the attic never feels hot in summer or cold in winter. A programmable thermostat automatically adjusts the home's temperature for maximum efficiency, and ceiling fans in almost every room keep the house cool with less air conditioning."

"All of the appliances and light fixtures are ENERGY STAR certified and the dryer sends off a beeping alert if clothes are dry before the time has expired. The double-pane windows have low-E glass, and the Rheem Marathon water heaters, with their all-plastic tanks, are highly efficient -- better than tankless water heaters especially since the homes are all-electric, Williams, who is married to Ledger-Enquirer staffer Chuck Williams, said."

"Winfield said while some people watch their energy bills jump during the heat of summer and the cold of winter, hers stay manageable and constant year-round. In the summer, she finds she needs minimal air conditioning."

""I love it," she said. "Once it cools off, it'll stay cool. A lot of times the air conditioning's been cut off and the temperature doesn't change.""

"And for 33-year-old Winfield, living in an efficient home is just the icing on the cake. After renting apartments all her adult life, she is thrilled to be a first-time homeowner."

""It's a good feeling because you know your money's going toward something that's eventually going to be yours," she said."

"Green building also makes for healthier homes. The four NeighborWorks houses feature formaldehyde-free cabinets as well as paints, adhesives and carpets that are all low-VOC (containing few volatile organic compounds). A controlled air exchanger system brings in fresh air from outside without impairing energy efficiency."

"Williams said even before homeowners moved into the homes, it was evident that the tightly sealed houses were going to be energy-efficiency powerhouses."

""In the winter they were warm and cozy before we had air conditioning and heat in," she said. "It was incredible, and it didn't smell new. You didn't get assaulted with this chemical burn in your nostrils and eyes because it was all environmentally friendly compounds.""

"The approximately 1,200-square-foot homes were available to families whose household income is 80 percent or below the average median income -- roughly $40,000 or less."

"But the fact that some of the first "green" houses in Columbus were also affordable houses bodes well for other energy- or money-conscious homeowners who are willing to invest some money up front in order to save big on utility bills and trim their energy consumption in the long run."

"In fact some of the Green Building methods proved so cost-effective that NeighborWorks now uses them in all of their new houses."

"For example, it's become standard NeighborWorks building procedure to use "sill seals," or rolls of foam as a top and bottom plate for all the walls, which seals cracks between walls and floors and improves energy efficiency at relatively low cost. And appliances in all new NeighborWorks
... read the whole article